Not Alike At All
by Hediru
Summary: The Doctor and Jack are two completely different men with completely different life circumstances. Yes, while their mutually long lifespans might make sharing life together convenient, but it would never work because they are just too different. Our leading men take some time to brood and we learn that they aren't that different at all. Mentions of Doctor/Rose, and Janto.


**Hey all. I've finally finished watching all of Torchwood. And of course, I'm in love with Doctor Who. As I watched, I couldn't help but notice how alike the Doctor and Jack really are, and this drabble was born. This little drabble is set post Journey's End for the Doctor, and post Children of Earth for Jack. Oh, and I'm taking a few liberties at the timing between the events of Seasons 2 and 3 of Torchwood to add to the angst, because for some reason, I really like writing angst.  
**

**I do not own Doctor Who, or Torchwood or any of the brilliance. They belong to the BBC.**

The Doctor traveled through time and space in his big blue box. His very big and lonely blue box. Just one scant day before, the TARDIS was more crowded than he ever remembered it being. Donna, Martha, Jack, Mickey, Sarah Jane, Jackie (yes, she was there, much to his shagrin), a metacrisis double of himself... and Rose. Yes, Rose had come back to him in a blaze of pink and yellow glory. His hearts swelled with immense pride at how far she had come since she was just a shop girl. The young woman, Rose Tyler, had traveled across two different universes fighting aliens, and jumped into countless other parallel universes all on her own - just to find him. And she was not the only one who had come back to him. He was proud of all of his companions, his Children of Time as Davros had christened them. Yes, there were some things that they had done that had shaken him to his core (The Osterhagen key and a warp star? What were they thinking?!), but he had an almost paternal pride for them all. Perhaps he wouldn't need to defend the Earth quite as often with these amazing humans defending their home!

But Rose was special. She had always been special. Right from the word, "Run!" Rose had blazed into his life and his hearts in a way that no one ever had before. And, somehow, he had wormed his way into her heart as well. Her confession to him that fateful day at Bad Wolf Bay made his hearts simultaneously soar and crash at the same time. She loved him! Oh, but she was lost to him forever! But for a few, brief, glorious moments as he turned and saw her standing at the other end of the street, he ran to her, hearts overflowing with hope that maybe, just maybe, the universe would give back what it had stolen away. Then the Dalek struck, and the dream died. He would regenerate, and nothing would be the same. He tried to prevent it, but all that did was muck things up even worse.

Soon, Jack, Sarah Jane, Martha, and even Mickey returned home and to their fantastic human lives. He had caught a glimpse of each of their timelines as they departed, and knew that they would be okay. Jack's timeline, of course, was much longer than the others, and he had suffered great losses in his life with even more to come, but over all, the immortal man would be okay. It did the Doctor good to see that. Then came the trip to the parallel universe that he'd dubbed "Pete's World", and his world came crashing down. Rose would be much better off without him. His metacrisis clone would be able to give her the life she'd always wanted with him, and in a way, he himself would be able to live that life with her. They would get their happy ending - only he wouldn't be the one living it. Walking away from her while her lips were locked with his other self was the hardest thing that he had ever done in all his lives.

Then, to add a final insult to injury, there was Donna. Feisty, gorgeous, outspoken, most-important-woman-in-the-universe, Donna. She wasn't Rose, and never would be, but he loved Donna dearly. She was the annoying big sister that he had never had. And now, she was gone as well, her memories of him forever wiped from her mind in order to preserve her life. He was a monster. The TARDIS had never felt so lonely and empty before.

For her part, his magnificent timeship tried to soothe him. She hummed sympathetically, and sent him feelings of comfort and love. But the Doctor had shrugged it off. What was the point of ever caring for anyone? It was the curse of the Time Lords. His friends could spend the rest of their lives with him if they chose, but he could never spend the rest of his lives with any one of them. "Well, there _is_ Jack," he surmised, chuckling to himself. But he had a feeling that without Rose or Martha to balance them out, Jack would die a lot more often, and he'd go through regenerations very quickly. Because he had Jack really had nothing in common with each other!

* * *

Captain Jack Harkness sat in a space bar on a satellite orbiting Nexus 7 in the Sapphire galaxy, about as far away from planet Earth as his vortex manipulator would allow. As he drained yet another hypervodka and chatted up the gorgeous bartender, his eyes belied the emptiness that he had felt inside. He was a man who had lived a very long time and had seen a lot, but the events of the past few months had really taken its toll. He had lost members of his Torchwood team before, but never like this. Six scant months ago, he had the life he'd always dreamed of: he had a team of his closest friends working with him in the Hub, and he loved them like family. The ever cynical but dependable Dr. Owen Harper who didn't even let coming down with a bad case of death stop him. Ever insightful and dedicated Toshiko Sato, whose technology skills had gotten them out of more than a few jams. The newest member and boldest member of the team, Gwen Cooper, had grown the team a little more when she married Rhys Williams, though he was never really official. Then there was Ianto Jones: incredibly gorgeous, sexy, and unbelievable Ianto. Never in all of his lifetimes had he met a man like him. But he truly loved every member of his team, and felt an almost paternal pride for them all. Defending the Earth wasn't so lonely with a family like this by his side.

But Ianto was special. The Captain had always been a flirt (to put it very lightly), and had had so many shagging partners over the centuries and to many romantic relationships with both genders to count. But there was something about the Welshman that had captured Jack's heart in a way that no one else ever had. And somehow, he had wormed his heart into Ianto's as well. Ianto's confession as he laid dying in his lover's arms in front of the horror that was the 456 had made the immortal man's heart simultaneously soar and crash at the same time. Ianto loved him! But, oh, he was lost forever! But for a few brief moments as they died in each others arms, Jack's heart was filled with hope that maybe, just maybe, the universe could grant him one small miracle and somehow give Ianto to him forever. But then, Jack awoke to the sound of Gwen's tears and a view of Ianto's lifeless body, and he knew that his already painful life had somehow just become worse.

For not the first time, he cursed his long life. He could never be mad at Rose for bringing him back from the dead on the Gamestation for the first time, oh so very many years ago. Her heart had been in the right place. But it was a very lonely life he was forced to lead. The loss of Owen (for the second and final time) and Tosh were crushing blows enough. Then came that fiasco with the Doctor and the Daleks where Jack felt like he was both gaining and losing family members at the same time. But this loss of Ianto just before the loss of 10% of the world's children, this was too much to bear. He should have left Ianto while he had a chance. He should have either quit Torchwood himself or fired his adorably Welsh ass. Ianto would have been much better off without him. But now it was too late. Leaving his body behind was the hardest thing that Jack had ever done.

Then to add final insult to injury, he was forced to kill his own grandson in exchange for the lives of millions of children on the planet, permanently destroying his relationship with his daughter in the process. As well it should. He was a monster. Before he could do more damage to the two people he had left, he left. He had never felt so lonely and empty before.

Which is how he found himself at that lonely space bar, light years away from anyone that he had ever cared about, or who had ever cared for him. What was the point in ever caring for anyone? It was the curse of the immortal man. His friends could (and had) spend the rest of their lives with him, but he could never spend the rest of his life with them. "I suppose that there _is_ the Doctor," he surmised. But no, that ship had sailed. The two of them would never get along for any long period of time without a buffer. After all, they had absolutely nothing in common!


End file.
